It is another sad day for the Rockets' big man, who because of a slew of injuries has never lived up to the superstar status thrust upon him as the No. 1 pick in the 2002 NBA draft and the face of basketball for a nation of 1.3 billion.

Thursday afternoon the team announced that an MRI revealed the 7-6 center had suffered a stress fracture of the medial malleolus in his left ankle. Team doctors believe the injury is related to the fractured tarsal navicular bone, which Yao suffered in the 2009 playoffs, an injury that caused him to miss the 2009-10 season.

The team did not elaborate on the severity of the latest injury, but with his history of foot problems it is reasonable to assume the worst.

On one end of the possible healing time is Grant Hill, who injured the same bone in April 2000, had two surgeries and played just four games in October before having surgery No. 3 and missing the next nine months. Hill then had to have a fourth surgery on the area, to realign the ankle and restructure the heel.

On the other end of that spectrum is Jason Kidd, who suffered the same injury to the same ankle a month before Hill, had three screws put in it during surgery, and was back on the court six weeks later for a May 2 playoff game.

In the middle of the graph is Rockets rookie Patrick Patterson, who had surgery on the bone in 2008 when he was at Kentucky and was off the court for four months.

Two of those three scenarios would mean Yao, 30, is done for the season, and as this is the final year of his contract, his tenure as a Rocket would likely end.

Yao is a valuable asset — when healthy. But should he not play again this season, he would have appeared in just five games in two seasons and an average of 40 games in six seasons (2005-2011).

The Rockets were willing to consider trade offers for Yao and his expiring contract. Of course, that probably won't happen. No team would trade anything of value for the broken down big man.

Consider his value

As valuable a piece as Yao might be as a high-character teammate and public relations figure — few athletes have represented the city better or made a more global impact — Yao's ability to contribute on the court should lead the Rockets to look elsewhere for a quality center.

The Rockets don't make nearly as much money because of Yao's Chinese connection as many would have you believe. A team source estimated the impact at about $4 million a year, not that significant a sum to a franchise with a $74 million payroll that Forbes said was worth $470 million last year.

Yao has a difficult decision to make. He said this past offseason that if he couldn't recover from his latest surgery, he might retire.

Yao isn't just a tall guy who plays basketball. Yao is a basketball player.

Were he not, he wouldn't practice so hard. He would not take losses so hard. Were he not, he would not have put in the time rehabbing from his many injuries.

At times Yao had to be protected from himself because he would try to do more than his body would allow to return to his team. There is a dedication garnered from parents who taught him the value of a hard day's work and nurtured by a culture in which slacking off is unacceptable.

But mostly, Yao's desire comes from loving the game and being a fierce competitor. A winner.

That is why this has to be a painful time for the big man.

A little over a month ago the Rockets had lengthy discussions with Yao's doctors in an attempt to extend the minutes he was limited to playing as he returned from surgery. The original plan called for him to play no more than 24 minutes a game and never two games on successive nights.

At the time it seemed like a risky request.

This isn't to say the Rockets were being callous about it, but they were thinking as much about how poorly the team was playing as they were about Yao's long-term prognosis. They were willing to gamble.

Yao would have been foolish to agree to it, but the competitor in him, the person who has a sense of right that tells him he wasn't helping his team and perhaps not earning his $17 million salary, was onboard with the request.

That is the type of person and player he is and as been.

When coaches have asked the players if they would rather practice or take a day off, much to his teammates' chagrin, Yao always has been the leader of the anti-off day camp.

A skilled big man, who could have been one of the all-time greats were it not for injuries, it will take an amazing comeback for Yao's career with the Rockets not to be viewed as a disappointment.

Some comparisons

Olajuwon, who led the team to two championships, scored almost three times as many points as Yao as a Rocket. Yao would have to return to the Rockets and post two of his best scoring seasons and five of his best rebounding seasons to top Malone in those categories, despite Malone, a two-time MVP winner here, spending six seasons in Rockets red.

Yao ranks below Ralph Sampson, the 1982 No. 1 overall pick, in points (19.7-19.0) and rebounds (10.5-9.2) per game, and is tied with him in blocks average (1.9).

If we have seen the last of Yao as a Rocket, as a basketball player, we're left mostly with thoughts of what could have been.